Two Countries. One Goal. The International Push for Fairer Criminal Record Systems
RBIJ CEO Maha Jweied (left) with Minister Jake Richards MP (center) and The Clean Slate Initiative CEO Sheena Meade (right).
The effects of a criminal record linger long after involvement in the justice system. Even after someone fully completes their sentence and remains crime-free, an old record appearing on a background check often puts stable employment out of reach — reducing the likelihood of receiving a callback or job offer by nearly 50%.
This often-overlooked reality of exclusion and perpetual punishment — impacting millions of Americans — only further stifles economic opportunity, fuels recidivism, and holds back entire communities. But this is not a uniquely American problem.
Businesses and Policymakers Are Stepping Up
This month, The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) and The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI) hosted a business roundtable in Chicago, IL welcoming the U.K.’s Justice Minister, Jake Richards MP, and his colleagues to explore how U.S. companies are advocating for policy changes such as Clean Slate or automated record sealing laws that address these issues.
In a world where 95% of U.S. companies use background checks for hiring and the U.K. government processes millions of background checks (DBS) every year on behalf of companies, it’s critical for employers to know exactly how their country’s justice system manages criminal records. Flaws in the system can lead to arbitrary hiring decisions that lock out valuable talent based on irrelevant or misleading information that has no reasonable bearing on a candidate's suitability for the role.
Minister Jake Richards MP at the business roundtable in Chicago, IL
“At the roundtable, we saw how the benefits of second chances can be felt on a micro and macro level. Stable jobs support those who’ve offended to rebuild their own lives, and for employers to access talent.” - Minister Jake Richards MP.
Companies across the U.S. and U.K. are increasingly recognizing that the status quo, if left unaddressed, is a pressing workforce issue that threatens growth. The economic cost of excluding talent is staggering: the U.S. loses an estimated $87 billion a year in GDP and, according to analysis from ReGenerate, the U.K. loses £11.5 billion due to the underemployment of individuals with criminal records. Ensuring fair access to employment — without compromising accountability or public safety — is a business and moral imperative.
How Record Sealing Reforms Change Lives
Already passed in 14 states and the District of Columbia, Clean Slate laws in the U.S. offer a practical, bipartisan solution to deliver record relief and remove barriers to everyday life. Automating the sealing of certain low-level records for individuals who already meet existing eligibility requirements, including remaining crime-free for an extended period, fixes a longstanding accessibility issue. Under costly and complicated petition-based sealing systems, fewer than 10% of eligible individuals in the U.S. successfully receive the relief they earned under law.
“We're grateful to Minister Richards for engaging with business leaders to better understand why automated record sealing has earned such broad support across the United States. Our conversation reinforced that Clean Slate policies expand opportunity, strengthen our workforce, and help employers access talent that too often gets overlooked,” said Sheena Meade, CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative. “These are challenges and opportunities that transcend borders, and we're encouraged by the U.K.'s commitment to exploring policies that unlock potential while supporting safer, stronger communities. We're proud to partner with RBIJ to share what we've learned and look forward to continuing this important exchange of ideas.”
Similar efforts are underway in the U.K. through a campaign called #FairChecks. The movement, led by Transform Justice and Unlock, is calling for the government to overhaul the outdated criminal records disclosure system in England and Wales. Specifically, #FairChecks is asking for: no automatic disclosure of cautions, wiping the slate clean for childhood offences, and an end to forcing people to reveal short prison sentences forever.
Additionally, the U.K. Government published the Youth Justice White Paper 'Cutting youth crime, changing young lives' in May 2026, committing to publishing a consultation by the end of the year on targeted areas of reform to childhood criminal records.
A Path Forward
This roundtable illustrates how convening business and government leaders across sectors and countries is a valuable tool to tackle today’s most pressing issues impacting the global economy. “It’s an honor to work with leaders in the U.S. and U.K. as we consider strategies to build fairer systems of justice and commerce that better serve our shared interests of sound governance, public safety, and most fundamentally, fairness,” said Maha Jweied, CEO of The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice.